Colombian Navy Accused of Opening Fire On Riverboat Carrying 20 Civilians, Including 5 Children

The Colombian Navy allegedly opened fire against a civilian motorboat carrying 20 people including five children in the coastal area of Enseñada, near Tumaco, Colombia. No one was injured but the incident could have ended fatally, and according to the victims, the mishap questions the professionalism of the sailors and officers assigned to patrol the area.

The shooting happened around 6:30pm on December 16, according to a letter shared by Blu Radio and signed by Ruben Cortes, a member of the community council from El Rescate las Varas, which covers part of the territory where this occurred. The boat was occupied by 20 people, including five minors, who were heading back from a soccer match.

Cortes blamed the Navy for this attack against civilians: “The boat was surprised by a burst of gunfire coming from the National Navy’s vessel, which fortunately did not have fatal consequences.”

One of the most surprising things about this attack is that there was no warning sign from the Navy, despite the zone being part of the ceasefire area established by the Segunda Marquetalia, an illegal guerrilla group of FARC dissidents, which has a presence in this rural area of Nariño. The community took legal action due to this incident, asking for an urgent investigation and the respective sanctions for the Navy members responsible for this attack.

The complaint filed by the community representatives with the prosecutor’s office points out the needs of free movement by the community: “We consider it necessary to emphasize the need to respect the free movement of our territorial communities framed within the community councils that make up the Network of Community Councils of the South Pacific. Therefore, we need security to be guaranteed for this exercise, without taking unnecessary risks, such as those caused by the military personnel under your command. In light of the above, it is necessary, essential, and urgent to initiate and carry out an investigation and the corresponding sanction for those responsible, according to the results it yields, ensuring that incidents like this do not happen again.”

Headline photo: A speedboat from the Colombian Navy patrolling a river. (Source Colombian Navy Website)